Johnstone's work in that sense is a perfect complement to Tolkien's History of Middle Earth, presenting a different context to the many others who have attempted to illustrate Tolkien.

Excerpt from ‘A companion to JRR Tolkien’, Edited By Steart D. Lee

I first met Jay Johnstone surrounded by his artwork at the Return of the Ring conference in Loughborough in August 2012 – and was struck by two things. First, the impact some of his pictures had on my psyche, and second, by Jay’s dedication to his craft.

Thomas Honegger- Professor of Old English Languages at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany.

What they say

Johnstone's artistic interpretation of Tolkien's work warrants the same attention as that of Alan Lee or John Howe; his emphasis on characters rather than scenes or landscapes is itself a distinctive quality, but the iconography is what truly sets Johnstone's work apart. https://doi.org/10.3366/ink.2020.0086

Lance A. Green - The Journal of Inklings Studies